Tasting Notes

100% Pinot Noir

Scents of black plums and red currents are woven together with the fresh aroma of early season blackberries and earth, all supported by a subtle warm spice of French Oak. These complex flavors, resulting from a mix of aromatic Pinot Noir clones, are wrapped around the firm structure provided by our old vine vineyards in Carneros creating a full balanced palate and a lengthy finish.

Ratings

Rated 90 pointsWine Enthusiast, October 2014

Fruity in black plum and ripe raspberry, it’s structured and weighty on the palate, dark and brambly with firm, substantial tannins. The grapes come from both Rancho Carneros and the mighty Hyde Vineyard, both sites planted to relatively older vines, which show through in this wine’s savory side. – V.B.

Rated 94 Points - Wine Review Online, July 2, 2014

A beautifully floral wine that shows brilliant acidity without sacrificing mouthfeel or delicacy of flavor. This is all about elegance, with red cherry, soft oak spice, damp earth, stony minerality and tea present in both aroma and flavor profiles, all sustained through a long mouthwatering finish. I'd age this wine for a few years - though it's a great pleasure now. It's meant for the table, not as a stand alone drink. That's what wine is for, right? This is worthy of your finest dinners. An herb encrusted roast of pork or beef will bring a mutual admiration society of flavors to your guests. - Rich Cook

90 Points - Vinous, December 2014

Sweet red cherries, tobacco, crushed rose petal and cinnamon are some of the notes that lift from the glass in the 2012 Pinot Noir Reserve. Aromatically expressive and medium in body, the 2012 Reserve is all about finesse. The 100% new French oak is very nicely integrated. This supple, nuanced Pinot is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next few years. - Antonio Galloni

Vineyard Notes

A notoriously challenging and fragile variety, Pinot Noir finds an ideal location on the the foggy, wind-swept slopes of the Carneros region, in southernmost Napa Valley. Through the repeated tastings of our reserve candidates we have brought together select blocks from two renowned vineyards in the Carneros AVA: Rancho Carneros and the Hyde Vineyard. The head-trained, dry-farmed vines of Rancho Carneros are over forty years old and bring weight, depth and complexity to the blend. The clonal diversity of the Hyde Vineyard, planted in 1979, further enhances complexity and heightens fruitiness, elegance and structure.

Appellation: 100% Carneros AVA, Napa Valley

Winemaker Notes

The clusters were hand-harvested in the cool of the morning to retain the fruity, delicate flavors, and then carefully sorted at the winery. A portion of the grapes were destemmed before being transferred to small, traditional open-top fermentation tanks as whole berries to heighten fruitiness. The remaining portion was fermented as whole clusters, to add a bit of spice, structure and subtle flesh to the texture. During that time the cap of skins was punched down gently ensuring a soft, silky mouthfeel. Several days of cold soak prior to fermentation and extended maceration afterwards, added up to a total of 27 days of wine to skin contact to achieve rich, fully developed flavors. The new wine went into 100% new French oak for malolactic fermentation and matured for 10 months.